Career Counselling: A Service or a Product?

Abstract

The traditional role of counsellors in Queensland TAFE institutes is changing. The competitive agenda and the growing emphasis on TAFE as a business has affected counsellors across the state. This study looks at the trend towards commercial activities in career counselling in TAFE Queensland. A questionnaire was sent to 40 Queensland counsellors to gather data on their fee-for-service career counselling activities. A focus group of 10 counsellors from four institutes looked at how these commercial activities were affecting their traditional role and whether they added value to their services. Case studies of two commercial packages were conducted to look at different models of fee-for-service career assessment, one computer-based and the other pencil and paper profile questionnaires.